Environment

Conserving the canopy – Nalini Nadkarni at TED2009

By Nalini Nadkarni, originally published by TED Talks

February 28, 2009

Nalini Nadrakni TED Talk slide

A unique ecosystem of plants, birds and monkeys thrives in the treetops of the rainforest. Nalini Nadkarni explores these canopy worlds — and shares her findings with the world below, through dance, art and bold partnerships.

Video reposted from TED under a (CC BY–NC–ND) license.

Nalini Nadkarni

Dr. Nalini Nadkarni is a forest ecologist and Professor Emeritus in the Department of Biology at the University of Utah. Since 1984, she has carried out research on the biota that live in rainforest canopies, supported by the National Science Foundation and the National Geographic Society. She has written 150 scientific papers and three scholarly books. In 2024, she became a Senior Fellow in Residence at the Sorenson Impact Institute to engage sustainable support for programs with positive environmental impacts. She also interweaves her rainforest research with innovative public engagement. She engages those who do not or cannot gain access to science education with the diverse values of trees to broaden awareness for forest conservation around the world. Her programs include faith-based groups, artists, corporations, and people who are incarcerated in state prisons, county jails, and juvenile detention centers.

A non-prepper’s guide to surviving collapse

By Vicki Robin, Coming of Aging

As housing costs rise and populations age, underused space in existing homes offers an overlooked solution. In-home suites can provide affordable housing, support aging in place, and strengthen community ties while making better use of what we already have.

April 29, 2026

As rising seas threaten nations like Tuvalu, what does survival without land look like?

By Ben Shread-Hewitt, The Geopolitical Climate

As low-lying island states face the loss of their territory, new legal and political strategies are emerging to sustain nations in exile. Whether they can preserve sovereignty, identity and cohesion without land remains an open question.

April 29, 2026

How to Think About the Future – Part 1: Changing the future starts with how you think

By Nate Hagens, The Great Simplification

In the first instalment of a new series on thinking about the future, Nate Hagens argues that most debates about what lies ahead are shaped by a single competing narrative. He introduces “scenario thinking” as a way to hold multiple possible futures at once, and explores why this is psychologically and culturally difficult in practice.

April 28, 2026